-The Hindu The District Administration of Yavatmal, Maharashtra, has declared 664 Gram Panchayat members from the district as “ineligible” on Tuesday “for failing to construct a toilet in their houses”. There are 1207 Gram Panchayats in Yavatmal district with 6,272 members. The membership of 664 Gram Panchayat members from different Gram Panchayats of Yavatmal district has been cancelled by the district Administration for failing to construct a toilet at their houses within the...

-The Hindu In the State that leads in incidents of rape, the shame-inducing statistics are pushing the Administration into action Time was when Payal (name changed to protect her identity), a standard VII student from Madhya Pradesh’s tribal dominated Betul district, had only school, friends and family on her mind. But her little world changed dramatically in March this year. The 15-year-old, a resident of Betul’s Majhinagar slum, was abducted in public by...

-The Hindu The conviction rate for every kind of crime is in free fall, engendering a breakdown of law that no republic can survive Even criminals, back in 1953, seemed to be soaking in the warm, hope-filled glow that suffused the newly free India. From a peak of 654,019 in 1949, the number of crimes had declined year-on-year to 601,964. Murderers and dacoits; house-breakers and robbers — all were showing declining enthusiasm...

-Outlook Alleging discrimination against SC, ST and OBC students at AIIMS, 54 MPs have sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the matter, requesting him to seek a detailed report from the institute's Administration. In a letter to Singh, the MPs also informed that AIIMS has not fulfilled the criteria for appointment of doctors and other medical staffs from backward communities, creating a backlog against these. "There are serious allegations of discrimination against...

-The Indian Express The director of New Delhi Municipal Council, on deputation, has been served a notice by the Orissa government for her alleged involvement in the misuse of NREGS money while she was serving in the state. Mrinalini Darswal, of 2002 batch cadre, has been accused of being involved in the embezzlement of Rs 2.53 lakh. The notice was served last week. The Orissa general Administration department asked Darswal why no action should...